A classic song about a forbidden love
Adultery dramas we often see in dramas, movies, and TV talk shows—the love that can never come true.
We’ve gathered songs about these “forbidden loves.” There are many beautifully portrayed dramas that make your heart race, but what if you yourself were to fall into a love that isn’t allowed…? Here, we’ll introduce plenty of songs that capture the bittersweet feelings of such forbidden love.
From songs told from a woman’s perspective to those from a man’s point of view, there are more tracks about forbidden love than you might think.
Perhaps that’s because many people are secretly suffering over a love that shouldn’t be….
- [Adultery Song] A forbidden song about an affair that sings of an impossible love
- [Cheating Song] A forbidden love that crossed the line — infidelity song
- A song of forbidden love. A love song about feelings that can't be stopped.
- [Unattainable Love] A love song about two people who feel the same way but can’t be together
- Unattainable Love: A Heartbreaking Love Song About Falling for a Married Person
- [Empathetic & Tear-Jerking] A love song about an unrequited romance
- [An Adulterous Love] A love song about a secret affair you can't tell anyone about
- A song of forbidden love. A heartrending, sorrowful love song.
- [Unrequited Love] Heart-wrenching Love Songs | A Roundup of Tear-Inducing Crush and Breakup Tracks
- Favorite Songs for Women in Their 50s: A Curated Selection of Sweet and Bittersweet Love Ballads!
- [Jealousy & Possessiveness Songs] A curated selection of popular tracks to listen to when possessiveness feels overwhelming!
- A roundup of love songs themed around homosexuality and LGBTQ+
- “I Want to See You”: A love song that makes you cry when you listen to it while you can’t meet
Masterpieces about forbidden love (21–30)
You&MeMiura Daichi
Even if it was a forbidden love, isn’t it a happy thing to be able to look back later and think, “That was a good love”? That’s what came to mind when I listened to this song.
It may not be flashy, but it will surely resonate with listeners whose hearts have just been broken.
It’s a track where Daichi Miura comes through beyond formats like Black music or bluesy styles.
Dear…Nishino Kana
This is a song by Kana Nishino that conveys the pain of bittersweet affection and unrequited love.
The melancholic piano sound evokes the feeling of softly murmuring one’s sorrow, and the expansive development of the music strikingly expresses emotions overflowing.
The lyrics, which capture the inner movements of the heart when burdened with feelings that won’t reach their destination or love that cannot be fulfilled, further emphasize the poignancy.
By also depicting the ideal of “what if these feelings had reached you,” the song renders the suffering even more vividly.
Masterpieces about forbidden love (31–40)
Absolute relationshipakai kouen
This is the song ‘Zettaiteki na Kankei’ (‘Absolute Relationship’), which was used as the theme for the drama Lost Days.
It was written specifically for this drama.
Its brevity—just 100 seconds—also became a talking point.
While it can be seen less as a love song and more as a track themed around “secrets,” I think it’s perfect for people involved in a romance they can’t tell anyone about.
The sound has a catchy vibe yet carries a certain tension, and the lyrics depict a world where you act so that no one finds out.
Perhaps there’s something in it that resonates with the relationship between the two of you.
even ifHirai Ken
It’s a song by Ken Hirai that conjures up the image of a man at a bar counter, tilting his glass and hiding his true feelings as he sits beside someone gazing at their lover’s ring.
You can almost feel the protagonist’s painful frustration as he wishes they’d miss the last train, yet swallows the words instead.
Released in December 2000, the track reached No.
3 on the Oricon weekly chart and is also included on the classic album “gaining through losing.” For those entangled in a forbidden love—knowing it won’t come true yet unable to stop their growing feelings—this song may quietly keep you company.
AFFAIRSuga Shikao
This is a song by Suga Shikao that portrays the deep anguish of a forbidden love—two people drawn to each other despite knowing it’s not allowed.
Released in October 2000, it was used as the theme song for the drama “The Lover’s Code: Wanting to See You.” There’s an anecdote that the track was refined for over three years before completion.
The torment of guilt alongside feelings so deep there’s no turning back makes your chest tighten, doesn’t it? If you listen to it on a night when you’re troubled by a complicated love with no way out in sight, you may find yourself empathizing deeply with its helplessness.
A little more, just a bit moreZARD
A song by ZARD about a love that cannot come true.
Even while knowing it’s a forbidden relationship, the protagonist finds herself wishing to be loved “just a little longer.” The song captures her emotions, and because the love is taboo, her earnest feelings resonate with a striking purity.
There’s an anecdote that Izumi Sakai, who also wrote the lyrics, felt saddened while singing it—an episode that speaks to the song’s poignancy.
Released in September 1993, this work compels deep reflection on the weight of unrequited love and the intensity of loving someone.
Inn of the Night Cherry BlossomsTsubuki Miyu
Enka singer Miyu Tsubuki—known for her “resonant, straight-down-the-middle voice”—released her single “Yozakura no Yado” in September 2025.
Set in a hot spring town, this classic enka number portrays the heartache of a forbidden love.
Through a round window, the protagonist gazes at fleeting dreams; their helpless longing seeps into your heart alongside Tsubuki’s richly expressive vocals.
This bittersweet yet beautiful tale of adult romance is perfect for a quiet night of solitary reflection.
Be sure to give it a listen.